Dubai sponsor withdraws over Shahar Peer visa row

Pressure grew on Tuesday for the organisers of the Dubai women’s championships
to overturn their ban on Israeli player Shahar Peer after one of the
tournament’s sponsors withdrew their support.

Old friends: Shahar Peer, who has been refused a visa to play in the Dubai, was Andy Murray's doubles partner at Wimbledon in 2005Photo: BRIAN SMITH

By Andrew Baker

10:21PM GMT 17 Feb 2009

The Wall Street Journal Europe said they were revoking their sponsorship because their editorial philosophy was “free markets and free people”. The newspaper’s move followed a decision by the Tennis Channel not to televise the event. However, another of the sponsors, Barclays Bank, said they would not be following suit.

A statement read: “Barclays has a commercial agreement with Dubai Duty Free as the title sponsors for the tennis championships. Our agreement does not allow us to interfere with any actions or decisions that have to do with the tournament itself, or the players, or the regulations of the host country.”

Tournament organisers said they had denied Peer a visa because local tennis supporters would have boycotted the event. “Public sentiment remains high in the Middle East and it is believed that Ms Peer’s presence would have antagonised our fans, who have watched live television coverage of recent attacks in Gaza,” a statement read by tournament director Salah Tahlak said.

“Ms Peer witnessed protests against her at a tournament in New Zealand. Concern was raised about her wellbeing. The entire tournament could have been boycotted by protesters. We do not wish to politicise sports, but we have to be sensitive to recent events and not alienate or put at risk the players and the fans of different nationalities that we have here in the UAE.”

A similar scenario is looming next week, when fellow Israeli Andy Ram, the doubles world No?11, is due to compete in the men’s tournament in Dubai. The Association of Tennis Professionals, the international governing body of the men’s game, have made it clear that they expect Ram to be granted a visa.

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“We are still waiting for an official decision on Andy Ram’s visa application,” an ATP spokesman said. “This is an opportunity for the UAE to make the right decision.”

The refusal to issue a visa to Peer violates WTA Tour rules, which state that any player should be able to compete where she wishes if she has the required ranking. A WTA board meeting in Indian Wells next month will discuss the tournament’s future.

Peer said she hope the WTA would bring pressure to bear on Dubai officials. “I am confident the Tour will take appropriate actions to ensure that this injustice is not allowed to occur in the future, and that the Tour will make sure I will not be further harmed,” she said. “There should be no place for politics or discrimination in professional tennis or any sport.”